Matthew 13: 36-43, Tuesday August 1 2023, Todays Reflection
End Reward
The passage concludes Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Weeds in the Field, where good seeds are sown in a field by the Son of Man, Jesus. The Sower is the Son of Man, and the seed He sows are the children of the Kingdom, which includes all those who are in a state of grace. The field is the whole world, and Jesus sends His followers into the world to build His Kingdom. The evil one also sows his "children," which refers to all those who live evil lives contrary to God's will. The reward for being the children of the Kingdom is hope, as the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.
Hope is an essential virtue that we often do not speak of enough. It is a gift from God based on truth, and the truth is the promise of eternal life in Heaven if we accept all that God speaks to us and fulfill His glorious will in our lives. For example, if a bank offers to pay off a large mortgage for a lucky family, we would fill out an application and receive the promised grant. However, we often do not fully understand the reward we are promised, which is to "shine like the sun" in the Kingdom of our Father in Heaven.
To strengthen the virtue of theological hope in our lives, we need to become more certain of the truthful promise of our Lord. We need to understand Heaven and the infinite value we receive by obtaining it. If we truly understood what Jesus was promising us, we would become so intensely driven to do all that He commands us to do that this would become the single focus of our life.
Reflect on the depth of hope in your life and how clearly you understand those promises. If you struggle with hope, spend more time on the end reward promised to you by Jesus. Believe what He says and make that end goal the central focus of your life. May Jesus help you understand this glorious gift so that it becomes the single object of your hope and the drive of all that you do in life.
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